


Arya Stark-Fanfiction🐺🌷

by Galatic_Swag



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:12:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22805404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galatic_Swag/pseuds/Galatic_Swag
Summary: Arya’s Story from when she gets her direwolf to when she becomes the Queen in the North
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Jon Snow/Arya Stark, Ramsay Bolton/Arya Stark
Comments: 111
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:”The direwolves!”**

**  
  
**

Arya woke to the sound of the septa's shrill voice telling her to wake up now and get ready,she scowls softly glaring at her septa threw the door,she sighs softly and pushes the furs off and gets up padding over to the chest at the end of her bed,she opens the chest yawning and grabs a cotton blouse,her little brothers breeches,a grey ruff-spun dress and her worn leather boots.

She puts them down on her bed before she removes her shift and pads over to the bath ,she runs her hand across the water before she steps into the warm water,she sighs contently as she sits down into the bath and begins to clean off the dirt from yesterday ,after awhile she gets up out of the bath dripping wet,her skin covered in goose pimples from the cold air,she dries herself off with a towel and then gets dressed into the clothes she had set out on the bed and tied her hair back in a messy northern braid before running down to break her fast,she almost bumps into fat Tom on her way.

When she enters the great hall she notices that her brothers apart from baby Rickon aren't there ,her sister and her friend Jeyne Poole are whispering excitedly to one another probably about the pompous but handsome young lord that had visited winterfell days ago .She sits down beside her baby brother, he makes a face as she muzzes up his wild tangled red mop of a hair ."Where is father and my other brothers ?"she asks her lady mother as she puts honey on her bread,her lady mother looks over at her and says "they went to preform the kings justice ,Arya "then goes back to eating her meal,Arya nods.

Arya begins to wolf down her honey and bread before she hears a cough,she looks up to see her mother looking disapprovingly , her sister and Jeyne looking at her in disgust,Arya gulps down her bread "sorry mother "she says as she wipes her mouth with her sleeve and finishes off her meal more mannerly,she gets up from her seat"may I be excused?"she asks stiffly trying to remember her manners,her mother nods .Arya then runs quickly out of the great hall.

She greets all the servants by name as she runs fast on her way to the gods wood, grinning,her hair blowing in the cold morning wind, after a few minutes she reaches the gods wood.She stops to catch her breath before walking threw the dark old forest that she knew like the back of her hand ,she walks to a wall at the right corner of the gods wood that connects to the armory,she takes off her dress and hangs it on a near by tree before climbing up the wall,she wasn't as good as Bran at climbing but she was good enough to make the climb up the broken tower to feed Brans ravens and crows when he couldn't in the mornings.

She walks along the roof of the armoury making sure that she wasn't spotted by her fathers guards .She was exited for her dancing lessons in the evening but was dreading her sewing and singing lessons that she had in half an hour.She climbs up the broken tower with only a little difficulty, she could see everything from here, the birds begin to peck at her boots like they normally did when they are hungry,she takes the small bag of corn from her pocket and feeds the corn to the birds.The wind was much stronger and colder up here but she didn't mind ,after the birds had finished eating she sits at the edge of the tower her legs dangling off it,she sighs softly wishing she could just stay up here until it was time for her dancing lesson.

She forces herself to climb back down the tower, walk back across the roof of the armoury and back down into the gods wood.She puts back on her dress and tucks her hair behind her ears before she slowly walks to the tower room, frowning slightly.She takes a deep breath and reluctantly opens the door to the tower room.

When she walks in she sees that Sansa, Jeyne and Beth Cassel are sitting together in a corner of the room, they are whispering and giggling together as they sewed.Arya sighs softly, sitting down in her chair in the other corner, she picks up her sewing from yesterday as the septa walked in.The hour passed excruciatingly slow for Arya, especially when Septa Mordane critiqued her work and then stood over her until she was done, she could hear Jeyne sniggering at her because of how crooked her stitches were, after she was done the singing lessons begun.

Arya stood beside her sister Sansa,her stomach was in knots as she waited for her turn to sing,she listens to her sister sing beautifully it made her feel worse ,she chews her lip,looking over the words again and again until it was her time to sing,she tried her best to be in tune but she just sounded like a wolf howling when she sings ,her cheeks flush with embarrassment and tears fill her eyes as she finishes,dropping the sheet music ,she runs out of the room as fast as she could as Septa Mordane shouted after her swearing that she would tell her mother.

She ran and ran,she felt the tears pouring down,her cheeks flushed with embarrassment,she reaches the gods wood after a few moments.She goes over to the heart tree and sits down on the mossy rock,pulling her knees to her chest,chewing her lip and continues to cry,looking down at her knees.She hardly noticed her father approach ,he kneels down in front of her and gently tucks her hair behind her ear "What's wrong Arya?"he asks,she slowly looks up at her father still biting her lip "I..I just hate stupid singing and sewing it's pointless.."she says her voice small,he hugs her gently "I know it doesn't seem it but it will be important for your future.."he says kindly,she hugs him back and cry's against his chest for awhile before he pulls away and wipes her tears away with his soft callous thumbs "well sweet girl their is something in the kitchen that might make you feel better?"he says with a small kind smile,"What is it...?"she asks curious,her head tilted slightly to the side,"you will have too see for yourself "he says,she nods smiling slightly and gets up and goes to the kitchen as her father begins to clean ice.

She pushes open the door ,her eyes become as wide as dinner plates as she sees her brothers playing with puppies,she lets out an exited sound causingher brothers to look up "hello little sister "Robb says grinning softly ,she walks over to them,smiling widely as they go back to what they were doing,she looks at the remaining pups ,one looked reserved and almost lady like while the second was curious and runs up to her and the other was a white albino pup that didn't make a sound ,she likes the second one the best,she picks her up and kisses her between the eyes and the pup licks her cheek which causes her to giggle a little,she thinks for a moment as she holds her pup on what to name her ,then the pups gold eyes look up at her and then she knew she had to name her after the warrior queen Nymeria....


	2. Chapter 2:”The kings Arrival”

The past two weeks in winterfell have been very busy in preparation for the royal families visit..

 **Arya** was excited to for the royal families visit mainly because it meant that Jon would he coming home from the wall with their uncle for the feast,she hasn't seen him in year since he had left for the knights watch. 

She was woken at dawn by a hand maid named Annie ,she was a good friend to Arya despite the fact that she was much older"come on m'lady you need to get ready for the royal families arrival "she says ,Arya reluctantly pushes off her furs and gets up,she stands beside the bathtub and rubs the sleep from her eyes as Annie fills up the bath with steaming hot water,then helps her out of her shift and into the hot water ,where she begins to scrub her skin almost raw ,Arya was too sleepy to argue or protest. 

After Annie helps her out,she dries Arya off and then helps her into a silk shift,then put on the corset ,they go over to her bed before she ties up the corset while Arya holds onto the bannister of the bed wincing a little at every pull before Annie hands her the end of the strings and she ties them in the front ,she sighs softly "do they have to be so tight?"she whines a little because she now couldn't breath freely ,Annie nods "you'll only have to wear it for a few hours dear,you'll be fine"she says not unkindly,as she puts a petticoat and the embroidered blue and grey dress over the corset and shift and finishes it off with some jewelry.Arya and Annie chat and laugh together as Annie tries to tame her tangled nest of a hair. 

After breaking her fast Arya stood beside Bran and Sansa in the courtyard with the rest of her family and the people of Winterfell waiting for the royal families to arrival ,she smiles softly because she saw how exited Bran was at the thought of seeing the kings guards for the first time,she ruffles his hair gently glancing over at her sister who was fixing her hair and smiling softly probably thinking about the prince.After awhile the kings men flowed threw the gates of Winterfell in their shiny armor and southern clothes,first rode a boy with golden hair and a bored petulant look on his face followed by a large man that was muscled like a bull with a snarling dog for a helmet ,then the ornate carriage came followed by king guards and the largest man Arya had ever seen apart from Hodor who must have been king Robert ,a man with golden hair with a lion on his doublet ,the other a small man with a squashed in face rode in behind him, they must be the imp and the king slayer Arya thinks . The door to ornate carriage opens as everyone on horse dismounts,out of the carriage came a cold but beautiful woman followed by two golden haired children both younger than Arya,one was a fat boy and the other was a beautiful little girl.

The king came over to her father and gave her father a bone crunching hug "ah Ned it's good to see you..you haven't changed a bit "he says with a booming laugh as he looks her father up and down, from the look on her fathers face Arya knew he couldn't say the same about the king "her father says "Winterfell is yours ,your grace.The cold woman who must have been the queen Arya presumes as she walks over with the prince and princess.As King Robert gives her mother a hug like a king lost sister ,her father kneels in the snow and kissed the queens ring.

The children from both families had been brought forward and introduced and approved of by both sides,the entire time this was happening she could feel the kings eyes on her it felt like he was trying to undress her with his eyes or like he had seen a ghost ,it made Arya's skin crawl and she tries her best not to show it. 

After the formal introductions were over the king asks her father to take him down to the crypts,she could see that it meant a lot to her father that he had asked ,the Queen protests but is silenced by the kings glare and is guided into the castle by her brother arm in arm,her father and the king soon took their leave to go to the crypts ,Arya relaxes a little then.She sees that the Prince and princess are still standing a meter away a little awkwardly ,her mother and siblings were to busy to notice,Arya walks over to them "Hello,would you like me to show you around?"she asks kindly ,grinning softly ,"oh we'd love that my lady " Princess Myrcella says with a small pretty smile,Arya nods and leads the way she had to slow down her pace for Prince Tommens sake.Arya shows them around the castle ,telling them stories about the places in it ,to Arya's surprise they were good company despite them being a little babyish about the direwolfs


	3. “The Welcoming Feast”

**Arya** was dressed in a light pink silk dress,her hair half up and down and curled ,she tries her best not to show her dislike of her dress even though she thought it made her look silly and stupid because of the stupid frills and it is very impractical .Arya stood outside the great hall fidgeting with the dress so it would be more comfortable as she stands beside prince Tommen who is having a worse time then her with his outfit,he was tugging at the collar of his doublet that was too small for him .In front of them are her sister and prince Joffrey who both stood in silence in arm and arm,Arya could see the faint blush on her sisters cheeks and her shy smiles in the princes direction he didn't seem to pay any mind to them.Behind them was her little brother Bran and Rickon she makes faces at them as they waited,when it was Tommens and her turn they link arms and walk in smiling politely if awkwardly as they do,her smile turns into a genuine one when she sees Jon at one of the lower tables she wished that she could run over and hug him but she turns her gaze away from her brother as Tommen escorts her the rest of the way to her seat.

After the feast has been going for now on 4 hours,nearly everyone was in their cups or distracted by their conversations so she thinks that this is the best time to go down to where Jon is on the lower tables without getting in trouble for leaving her seat.Arya gets up and quickly swerves her way threw the sea of servants , drunken lords and ladies until she reaches the bench Jon was sitting on with some drunken youths who were laughing as Jon downs a cup of sweet summer wine."Brother!"she says excitedly as she walks over to time and sits down beside him ,he grins happily "Hello little sister.."he says his words a little slurred ,he muzzes up her hair and she makes a face at him when he does ,he chuckles softly and asks "what have I missed ?",she grins softly "Uhm..well"she says chewing her bottom lip thoughtfully then explains everything that has happened the past few weeks since she hadn't been able to send him any letters at the end she offers to show him the left over pup that was as white as snow.He nods "sure why not"he says getting up from the bench almost falling Arya and one of the youths caught him just in time .Arya leads him almost gently out of the hall as he leans on her a little for support.

They walk threw the grey stone halls that are only lit by the warm glow of the torches,their shadows danced behind them in the flickering light on their way to the gods wood "he's just out here"she says as she takes a torch and leads Jon threw the gods wood then howls,she waits for a few seconds then they hears the breaking of twigs and the rustling of leaves as the white wolf bounds towards Jon and nearly knocks him over ,Arya laughs as his wolf licks her brothers face "he likes you brother "she says grinning,"it would appear do"he says making a face and scratches the wolf behind the ear the wolf seems to calm at the action and leans into his hand ."you could ask father to take him to the wall"Arya suggests as she watches still grinning happily,Jon nods and clumsily gets to his feet,Arya goes over and helps because he was clearly struggling because of how drunk he was .

The wolf pup follows them as Arya helps Jon back to his old room that was down the hall from hers,once or twice she had almost forgotten that the silent pup was there at all.The alcohol must be taking more of an effect because Jon was stumbling more than he had been and was holding onto her tightly ,after awhile they reached his old room.She opens the heavy wooden door for him ,he stumbles in and she follows ,the door shuts behind her with a bang,she looks behind her in surprise .

"Arya..." he says suddenly his words slurred,she turns to look at him but before she could answer his drunken lips where on her soft small lips ,her eyes are open wide with shock,her cheeks flushed ,she was frozen in place for a few seconds before she pushes him away,he stumbles back and apologizes profusely before falling into his bed,she reasons with herself that he didn't mean too kiss her that he was drunk and confused,after she hears him snoring she walks over and takes off his boots and tucks him in before quickly leaving the room,her cheeks are still flushed and she felt unsure and confused about everything that had just happened..She runs to her room down the hall and closes the door behind her and let out a breath she hadn't known that she had been keeping in since he had kissed her

When she went down to break her fast in the morning Jon was acting like nothing had happened probably because he didn't remember kissing her in his drunken state last night


	4. “Needles and Swords”

**Arya** sat in the corner of the tower room frowning down at her stitches,she glances over at Myrcella who the septa had been seated far from Arya so Arya would not disturb the princess or embarrass the septa with her terrible sewing and manners,she sighs looking for a few to salvage her crooked stitches but their was non that could be found so she puts it down beside her chair,she glances out the window their was nothing of interest in the view for Arya apart from the faint clank of swords from the training yard in the distance,she bites her lip before looking away from the window at her sister and her friends,they were talking and giggling about something Arya could not hear

"what are you talking about?"Arya asks her sister, her sister blinks a little wide eyed clearly startled by the sudden question but Bella answers for her dreamily "Sansa’s going to marry prince Joffrey "and Jeyne adds"he said that Sansa was very beautiful "like she had something to do with it,Sansa has seems to compose herself by now and says "don't tell lies we don't know that yet Bella"while stroking the girls hair to take the sting from her words "isn't he gallant sister?"she asks glancing up at Arya, Arya didn't really think he was gallant or Noble from what she has seen of him, he was handsome though she supposed in an arrogant pouty sort of way "Jon says he looks like a girl with his silly golden hair and I agree"she says, her sister sighs not truly shocked by her sisters unladylike comment "Poor Jon's just jealous because he's a bastard..",a anger grew in Arya "he isn't just a bastard, he's are brother!"she blurts much too loudly for the quiet tower room,Septa Mordane snaps up in their direction away from Princess Myrcella and her slightly crooked stitches that the septa was ignoring "what are you taking about children?"she asks,Sansa smiles sweetly for the septa and lies saying "Arya and I were just commenting on how good it is to have the princess here today ",the septa nods glancing over at Arya her eyebrows furry as she sees that Arya had put down her embroidery "Arya why have you stopped sewing?,show me your work"he Septa says her tone was cold like an icy whip.

Aryas eyes wide and gulps,Sansa must have drawn the septa's attention intentionally,Arya begins to chew her lip as she reluctantly surrenders her work to the septa,she glances over at the other girls Myrcella was looking at her sympathetically,Her sister was to well bread to smile at her misfortune but Jeyne was smirking on her behalf and Bella looked upset that the conversation had been interrupted,Arya looks back at the septa who was looking down at her work disapprovingly, it was all to much for her angry tears fill her eyes before she gets up from her seat and runs to the door in a rush "and just where do you think you are going young lady?"the septa asks,Arya turns around and straightens her posture "to go shoe a horse "she says as tears fall down her cheeks, it made her a little happy and proud to see the shocked look on the septa's face before she turns to princess Myrcella "at your leave my lady?"arya says doing a clumsy curtsy,Myrcella was a little stunned for a minute before nodding ,Arya immediately runs from the room to the sound of the septa's shrill threats of telling her lady mother, she continues to run down the stairs two steps at a time, it wasn't fair at all Sansa had gotten everything the fine Tully looks ,manners and was good at almost everything that was expected of her as a young lady ,the only thing that Arya was better at was running a household and horse riding which her sister and Jeyne had relentlessly mocked her for by calling her Arya horse face. She soon reaches the bottom of the stairs she sees that Nymeria was waiting for her and barks happily at her arrival,Arya grins because she knew that the pup would love her even if no one else did . 

She kneels down quickly and begins to untie the chain from Nymerias neck as he pup licked her ear which made her giggle,when she was done she gets up and runs the pup on her heels ,she knew that she couldn't go to her room because she would surely get caught by her mother and the septa inside she decided that she wanted to see prince Joffrey get knocked on his royal ass by her brother,she knew the perfect place that had a great view of the training yard when she gets their she was breathless and her cheeks are flushed,She sees her brother sitting in the window his knee drawn to his chin,she thought that he looked way more handsome than the arrogant prince ,he doesn't notice her until his wolf goes over to hers sniffing before gently nipping her ear before returning to Jon. 

**Jon** was a little amused when she notices his sister had come to watch the fighting ,he smiles slightly and asks "aren't you supposed to be sewing little sister?,his sister scrunches up her face like she always used to do "I wanted to see them fight "she says,he smirks at that "come on then "he says and moves a bit backwards so she would have some more space to sit,she jumps and shuffles back her bum until her legs dangled,he watches her look down at the yard and frown when she sees that it was just Bran and Tommen sparring but she still watches for a bit intently "fighting is a shade more exhausting than needlework "Jon comments and glances back at Arya who quickly retorts"a shade more exiting than needle work"Jon grins at his sister retorts at him and muzzes up her hair playfully,Jon notices how soft her hair is between his fingers despite that fact that it looked like a birds nest most of the time,she makes a face at him and runs her hand threw her hair it fix it a little although it didn't do much,as he thinks about her hair he doesn't notice her cheeks flush but he did notice her looking at his face but he pretends like he doesn't notice her looking ,she seemed to have snapped out of her thoughts and asks innocently "why aren't you down in the yard?"he knew she meant nothing by it and was just curious but he couldn't hide his bitterness with a half smile he says "bastards aren't allowed to spar with princes",her eyes widen and she looks abashed "oh.."was all she says ,he goes back to watching Tommen and his brother wack at each other with their stick when Arya says "it's not fair, I'm way better than bran at fighting and he's only 11 I'm 14",he looks over at her with a slight smile "that may be true little sister but you're still a girl"he says not unkindly ,he then messes up her hair again before they go back to watches as the two boys circle each other,his gaze moves to Prince Joffrey who was sitting in the shade smiling smugly surrounded by knights and squires from the south,he taps his sister gently on the shoulder "You see Prince Joffrey sister..",he watches for a few seconds as she looks for the prince ,when she had found him,he suggested that she look at his arms and she does ,his sigil had both his father and mothers sigils combined into one of his own ,it was very fine work "the Lannister's are proud.."he comments "..you would think the royal one was enough but no he makes his mothers house equal in honor to the royal one" "The women are important too"Arya protested scowling softly ,he chuckles softly at her reaction "Maybe you should do the same thing sister and wed Tully to stark on your sigil "she thinks for a moment then laughs saying"that would be silly a fish in a wolfs mouth...besides if I cannot fight why should I have a coat of arms ",he shrugs "girls get the arms but not the swords and bastards get the swords but not the arms ...I do not make the rules little sister "he looks to the yard when he hears a shout,they see that Tommen had fallen, Bran was ready to hit him before Ser Rodrick ended the fight and asked if Robb and Joffrey wanted to go another round ,they agree but an argument occurs ,Jon mutters "ass "under his breath at Theons comment ,after a few moment the princes left with the hound,Robb had to be held back by Theon,his curses rang threw the yard,Arya covers her mouth in shock.Jon watches them leave,his face was as still as stone he climbs down from the window seat "the show is done.."he says when he turns to Arya and bends to scratch ghost behind the ear ,the pup leans into his touch as Arya watches "you best be off little sister before you get in too much trouble ,unless you want to be sewing all threw winter and when he spring thaw comes they will find you with your needle frozen in between your fingers ",from Aryas expression it was obvious that she didn't find it amusing "I hate sewing!"she says with passion"..it's not fair" "Nothing is fair"Jon says back ,he messes her hair before leaving.Despite what she thought he had remembered the kiss ,he did have feelings for her despite how confusing and wrong they were but he would never act on them again because he was a man of the nights watch and she was his little sister .He hears her reluctant steps leave in the opposite direction as he turns the corner,he hopes they won't punish her too badly..


	5. “The fall”

**Arya** was wearing a white frilly dress,she didn't mind it too much because it was comfortable and practical ,to her mother and septa's dismay it was usually speckled with mud or grass ,she wears her hair down today and had a wooden basket on her arm. 

She was currently in the glass gardens with her little brother Rickon,she held his hand tightly so he wouldn't run off and get lost "which flower is your favorite ?"she asks him as they walk around the different flower beds and vegetable patches,it smells delightful in here it smelt like warm earth and roses "uhm...that one"he says pointing at the blue winter rose ,she grins and messes up his hair and was about the pick it for him when she hears Bran scream but it is cut off by a loud thud which causes her to accidentally cut herself on a thorn on the winter rose "ow.."she says sucking on her cut finger and quickly puts down her basket and picks up Rickon and runs as fast as she could in the direction of her brothers scream,her heart pounding in her chest,she was very worried for Bran,Rickon is holding on very tightly and looks very confused and startled. 

When she reaches the broken tower ,she was out of breath "Bran...brother?!"she calls with no answer only the sound of ravens above ,then she sees him broken and pale in the grass "Bran!"she cry's out in horror,she lets Rickon down and runs over to him and kneels down and shakes him but he wouldn't wake up "Bran...please..Bran wake up!"she pleads and shakes him more,tears falling down her cheeks,her mind was racing she didn't know what to do at all..after a moment she decides to go get mother and maester Luwin "Rickon stay with Bran..!"she she says as she gets up wiping her tears away and turns around to Rickon who was sobbing uncontrollably and biting his bottom lip,"oh Rickon it's going to be ok just stay with him till I get mother.."she says gently,he nods and goes over and sits down beside Bran and holds his hand . 

She picks up her skirts and runs as fast as she can to her fathers solar ,crashing into several people along the way but she didn't care because she needed to help her little brother ,hot tears begin to fall down her cheeks again,after a few minutes she bursts into her fathers solar "Mother!...mother!..come quick Bran is hurt"she says all at once,tears in her eyes, "where?!"her mother asks shocked and concerned and goes over to Arya,not evening noticing the mud on Aryas clothes "I'll show you.."Arya says grabbing her mother's soft slender hand and runs to where Bran was laying,her mother and maester Luwin follow quickly behind her ,well maester not so much because he was too old to run very fast. 

When they reached the broken tower Rickon was still holding his brothers hand,chewing his lip ,tears in his eyes ,he looks up as they rush over to the unconscious Bran ,their mother picks Bran up gently and the maester checks for his pulse ,lucky he still has one.Arya picks up Rickon and gently rubs his back gently to comfort him as she looks over at her mother who looked like she was just barley keeping it together as they walk to the Brans room,Arya chews her lip she was very worried for Bran and her lady mother as they entered his room ,the iron wood door falling shut behind them...


	6. “The scent of sickness”

It has been one week since Bran's fall,he was still unconscious in his room,tended to night and day by their mother and Maester Luwin....

In the early morning **Arya** had gotten dressed quickly and rushed down the stairs to the kitchens to grab a chunk of bread and honey before running to the gods wood, saying hello to all the servants she happened by as they came out for early morning duties, she slows down once she reaches the gods wood and begins to eat the bread and honey as she walks to the grove with the pretty wild flowers, her fingers were sticky with honey by the time she had gotten there, she puts down the jar and cleans her hands in the stream before she begins to pick some flowers from the grove ,when she was done she fills up the jar with water from the stream before she puts the flowers in the jar before heading to her brothers room. 

She climbs the stairs to his room carefully because she didn't want to break the jar, she opens the door to his room with her elbow to no surprise her mother was still awake, she looks older than her years ,Arya could tell she was exhausted but also too worried about Bran to sleep or eat properly, she was now holding her brothers hand looking down at him not noticing Arya enter "Morning.."Arya says as she walks over to the night stand and places the flower jar on it before turning to her mother, her mothers normally neat auburn hair was messy ,under her eyes their were dark circles and her dress crinkled.Arya chews her lip a little"Uhm..you should really get some rest mother"she says as gently as she could ,her mothers weary face softened for a moment before turning grim when Arya says this "no..I have to take care of your brother Arya, what if he wakes when I'm asleep?.."she asks rhetorically,Arya sighs softly "I'll take care of him while you're asleep and I'll wake you if he does.."she says gently, looking her mother in the eye, after a long pause her mother relents and says "ok but you have to wake me",Arya nods and watches her mother walk over to the small cot that they had set up for her because she didn't want to leave Bran in his state, her lady mother climbs under the blanket and falls asleep within seconds.

Arya sighs softly and sits down gently on the edge of her little brothers bed, he looked fragile and lifeless which is the complete opposite of who he is ,she brushes his hair away from his eyes "please wake up bran...I don't want to have to leave before you do.."she says as she chews her lip as she prepares some honey and milk for him before feeding it to him ,she puts it down and puts a cold cloth on his forehead and generally takes care of him as she tells him his favourite stories, maester Luwin comes in every two hours and eventually she falls asleep after the sky turned dark


	7. “Jon’s final goodbye..”

**Arya** rolls her eyes as the septa slammed the door to her room behind her "not ladylike "Arya mutters imitating the septa's voice ,as she folds up a dress as neatly as she could,Nymeria whimpers softly behind her,Arya looks back at her and bites her lip "it's alright girl"she says gently before Nymeria continues to help her by grabbing her silks and dresses gently in her mouth and brings them over for Arya to fold neatly into her iron wood chest ,she does well tries at least.

Nymeria stops fetching her things the moment she smells ghost, she sits back and yelps at them making Arya look over her shoulder to see Jon standing in the entrance to her room ghost at his side, a package under his arm, she immediately jumps to her feet dropping the dress in her hands ,it tumbles to the floor with a quite thud ,she ran to him and jumps wrapping her arms around his neck ,he smelt of the summer snow and leather "I was afraid that you had gone.."she says quietly ,biting her lip and looks down "they wouldn't even let me come out to say goodbye.."a small grin forms on her brothers face "What did you do this time sister?"he asks with a soft chuckle looking to be very amused at the situation, she immediately untangles herself from him and makes a face at him walking over to her chest "Nothing..I was fully packed but.."she says while gesturing to the iron chest behind her that wasn't even half way full ,most of the clothes were scattered across the floor of her room"..septa Mordane says I have to pack all over again because a lady does not throw her silks into a chest like common rags.."she says annoyed,Jon seemed to be even more amused by this which made her want to punch him for being an ass "and is that what you did little sister?he asks ,"Well they are just going to get messed up anyway so there is no point in folding them neatly.."she says exasperated "Who honestly cares about it ,it's just silly.."she says "Septa Mordane"Jon comments then says "I don't think she would like your wolf helping either"he says, her she wolf looks at Jon with her golden eyes for a moment, silently. 

"Just as well..I have something for you but it needs to be packed very carefully for your journey south.."he says with a small gently smile.Her face turns from annoyed and frustrated to exited and happy in the time it took him to say this "A present..?"she asks as he walks over to her "Perhaps...close the door"she was exited but nervous butterflies filled her stomach as he says those words ,she wondering what this present was or could be as she goes and checks the hall before she closes the door to her room and then goes back to where she had stood seconds before.

Her eyes widen as she begins to see the present as Jon unravels the cloth that had covered it ,he then held it out for her to see properly "a proper sword.."she breaths in amazement ,the sword was in a scabbard that was made out of grey leather that was as soft as sin.He pulls the sword out from its sheath slowly so she could admire the way the light could dance across the polished castle forged steal "this is no toy..so he careful it's sharp enough to shave with"he told her ,Arya chuckles and rolls her eyes "women don't shave"she says,"Maybe they should have you seen how hairy the septa's legs are?"he asks rhetorically smirking softly,Arya giggled at him "it's as skinny as a stick.."she says "so are you"Jon said "I had the blacksmith make it special for you,it's like the blades your dancing master would use when he is fighting in a proper dual...it will not chop a mans head off but can poke him full of holes if you are quick enough "he says "I can be quick enough.."she says confidently and grins up at him."I know you can "he says with a soft proud smile. 

**Jon** carefully hands the sword over to his little sister and watches as she quickly finds the correct way to hold the blade,he continues to watch as she gracefully goes into her water dancing stance and playfully attacks him the blade stopping an inch from his neck,his breath catches in his throat and something stirred in him but he ignores it and takes a deep breath as she steps away and lowers the sword "how does it feel?,does it have a good balance?.."he asks "yes I think so"she says with a small happy smile ,he smiles with relief "do you remember the first lesson I gave you?"he asks ,she rolls her eyes at him and laughs lightly at him "stick them with the pointy end". 

They were both grinning like idiots until a doubtful look comes over his sisters face "Septa Mordane won't allow me a real sword..she barley tolerates my dancing lessons"Arya says chewing her lip "not if she doesn't know you had it "he says ,he thinks for a moment "but whatever you do don't tell Sansa"they says the last part together like that had since they were little ,he reaches over and messes up her hair"I will miss you little sister.."he says sadly as if something told him it would be the last time he would see her ,suddenly tears appeared in his sisters grey eyes it made his heart break "I wish you didn't have to go back.."she says as she held his hand gently,her thumb gently rubbing over his knuckles "different roads sometimes lead to the same castles,who knows "he says trying to reassure her even though he wasn't sure himself ,he sighs "I'd better get going or I'll be emptying chamber pots till the end of summer if I keep are uncle waiting any longer.."he says,suddenly he heard the sword clatter to the ground before he felt her skinny little arms wrap around his neck for one last hug ,he couldn't help but smile at this and holds her close and she pulls a little away after a moment and kisses his cheek gently,his ears turn red and glances down at her lips but stops himself from kissing them,he shakes his head as if to get rid of the thought "goodbye little sister.."he says pulling away from the hug and turns on his heal and was about to open the door.

He glances back to see her holding it again ,doing her water dance as gracefully as a moon dances across a pond,he smiles and then remembers turning back around "All good swords have a name"he says "Like fathers sword ice..does this sword have a name?"she asks curiously her head tilting to the side "oh tell me"she says after a moment of silence "can't you guess?"he asks with a soft chuckle "..your very favourite thing" she looks confused for a second it came to her quickly and they said it together smiling "needle",she laughs .

**The memory of her laughter warmed him on the long ride back to the wall.....**


	8. “The kings road adventures”

**The shadow of Winterfell:**

**Arya** was dressed in her riding leathers,her hair tied back info a neat plat,she looks into the looking glass and sighs she didn't want to leave her mother ,brothers and Winterfell behind but at the same time she was exited at the adventure of going south .She says her goodbyes her Anne and hugs her tightly before leaving the room her wolf on her heal,everyone was so busy with the preparations for their departure this evening that no one noticed her said hello as they walked quickly past her ,she heads in the direction of her water dancers room hoping to get in one final dancing lesson before she has to leave.She knocks on his door and waits after a moment she hears him say "Come in"in his thick Bravvosi accent,she goes inside and is surprised to see that he wasn't packed at all,she chews her lip gently "aren't you coming with us to Kings Landing?"she asks him,the bald man looks up at her and sighs softly and with a sad smile says "I'm afraid I must go back to Bravvos" ,Arya frowns chewing her lip gently "Why?.."she asks clearly upset by this "The sea lord of bravos wishes my return child in a few days "he says going over to her placing his hand gently on her shoulder "just remember my lessons and you will do well,now run along you have a lot of goodbyes to do before you leave.." he says kindly,Arya nods feeling a little sad she gives him a quick hug before leaving and heads in the direction of her brothers room ,her heart heavy as she climbs the steps.

She knew her Lady mother would not leave Bran in his current state even to say goodbye to them so she decided to go and say goodbye to them both ,she opens the door to the room and walks in ,her mother was holding Brans now claw like hand in hers gently not even noticing Arya enter at first "oh hello Arya "she says once she had looking up at her "Hello mother,I've just come to say goodbye before I leave"Arya says with a small sad smile and goes and hugs her mother and she hugs her back for a moment,the room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop ,she pulls gently away from her mother and looks down at her still unconscious little brother "I'll miss you bran ,I promise that I'll send you loads of letters about the south and kings landing,maybe you can visit use when you're better"she says and kisses his forehead before leaving.

After an hour they were ready to leave as she walks out to the yard,she takes a deep breath father and Sansa are saying their goodbyes to herbrothers.Arya did feel sad at leaving her brothers behind but she didn't have much of choice,she walks over to them Rickon spots her first he runs over to her and gives her a big hug she couldn't help but smile.After she gives a Robb a hug "be good"he says jokingly with a light laugh as summer snow melted in his hair.

She got on her horse and begins the slow pace out of winterfell with the rest of the column,she looks around wondering when she would see her home again.The shadow of Winterfell covered them for a long time until it didn't which made her heart stop for a moment but she ignores the feeling of dread that coiled in her stomach.

**Flowers and Lizard lions:**

2 weeks later..

She woke up an hour before dawn broke,sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she glances over at her sister who was still fast asleep,Arya quietly gets out of bed and puts on her riding leathers and boots before leaving the tent,the air was damp but fresh Arya liked it,she grins slightly and takes a deep breath before walking over to the cooks tent "Sammy can you make me some food...please?"she asks at the flap of the cooks tent learning her lesson from last time when she accidentally walked in on him as naked as his name day after a few moments she hears a muffled "of course m'lady".After awhile she came out with a good chunk of soda bread,she thanked him before quickly running to wake her friend Myca who a few years older than her and had red hair like her brothers ,she wolves down the bread on her way and as she waits before they set out.

An hour of two later..

She climbs over a log being careful not to step in any quick sand,She could hear Myca's heavier steps behind her ,he yawns loudly "how many different flowers do you think live here?..I've counted 12 so far"she says looking back at him "I dunno Arya probably a few dozen"he says with a shrug as he climbs over the log."Maybe" she says as she plucks a bunch of greenand purple flowers.When she looks up she sees Myca looking over at something with cautious excitement "what is it?"she asks curiously ,he shushs her which makes her a little angry until he points at the thing he was looking at it was a Lizard lion her eyes widen in shock and excitement she had never seen one in real life before,the pictures in Maester Luwins old books certainly didn't do the creature justice.

When the sun was setting for the day..

Her hair was a frizzy and tangled mess because of the damp air of the neck and her boots were caked with mud but she didn't care,she san over to where her lord father was standing she could see a small smile already appearing on his face when he sees her "father!...father I have some flowers for you"she says breathlessly and grins as she stops in front of him and hands them to him,he takes them and pulls her into a tight gently hug "thank you"he says softly

Before bed and early morning..

Arya begins to unlace her tunic as she gets ready for bed ,she pulls the tunic over her head when she was finished unlacing it,she notices the odd green welts on her arms ,she chuckles softly "I must have touched a poisonous flower.."she comments to her sister as she gets ready for bed.

In the morning she shows the green itchy welts to Myca "I think it might be caused by a flower called poison...something you should probably rub mud on it'll stop the itching you talked about"he says ,she nods and does so trusting his advice and it was worth the try anyway,she caught a glance of her sister looking at her with disgusted as she rubs it on her arms

**Traveling conversations:**

10 days later..

The farmers wife talked of her family ,she had a crippled husband who she loved dearly and four kids around Arya's age who helped out on the small farm near the trident that always smelled of fresh grass and smoke

The next morning..

The free riders ,Tom a youth of seven and ten and a hard old man that didn't talk too much named Henry.Tom talked of bandits they had fought off for this lord and that and he joked about embarrassing tales of different people he had met on his journeys after awhile he began to talk about a woman he once had in his bed before Henry gave him a right clock over the ear and told him to keep his filthy stories to himself when in the presence of a lady of noble birth

In the evening..

A bold squire named Alured bragged of his skill with sword and bow,talking of the few lords he had served under and how they praised him on it but when Arya asked him to fight with her he promptly came up with many excuses before quickly leaving

A week later..

A green eyed whore named Lily talked of her sickly boy who was barley five years and of they pie they were eating . Later in the night she joked about the different men she had been with some of her japs made Arya's cheeks burn bright red and her eyes widen a little. 

**Sparring:**

All Arya could hear as they walked threw the threes to the clearing was the crush of underbrush underfoot and Nymeria's distant howl.

Once they reached the clearing they broke off branches and got into their sparring positions circling each other ,Myca held his branch like a battle axe while Arya held hers in the bravvosi sword fashion Syrio had taught her many moons ago now.Myca goes for the attack but she quickly ducks away hitting him in the back not hard enough to truly hurt...

Hours later their fight still continues Arya was beginning to tire and looks away for a brief second and gets knocked to the ground by Myca's blow to the shoulder that certainly would leave a nasty bruise ,she winces a little as she gets to her feet ,holding her shoulder.Every hurt is a lesson she thinks as Myca drops his sword and goes up to her "are you alright m'lady?did I hurt you bad" he asks concerned "I'm fine,your getting better "she says kindly removing her hand from her shoulder.

**The wind upon her face:**

They road away from the column early in the morning,the summer sun kissing their skin gently ,a light breeze in their hair.They soon found a large wild herd of horses ,they chased after them hooting and laughs happily,the horses didn't seem to mind they too much until Nymeria came ,when they smelled her they ran and scattered in fear of the large pup.

**The creaking tower:**

When Arya had first ridden out she hadn't expected to find a small abounded tower in the middle of the woods,she gets off her horse as does Myca they tie the horses to a near by tree ,they split up and search for a entrance.Arya finds it first it had been covered in ivy she cuts it away and pushes often the door ,she lets out a small yelp and ducks as colony of bats flys out of the abandoned tower.After a moment they enter the tower together the place smelled of damp wood and ash.

They soon found out that it was an abounded watch tower from a minor house that went extinct during the dance of the dragons ,their was on old worn tapestry on the wall and old book on the broken table unfortunately the stairs were to weak to support their wait so they could not go to the higher floors,so their adventure ended there.


	9. “The moment the world turns upside down”

**Arya** sat at the cooks table digging into some jam and toast while the cook boy named Ben cleaned up,she hears the sound of horses being saddled outside and her fathers familiar voice,her brows furrow and she bites her lip,their ready to go already it's not even dawn that's strange she thinks.She puts down her toast and opens the door just in time to wave to her father before he rides off with the king and a few other men after a moment she closes the door and finishes eating her food accidentally dropping some jam on her white linen tunic.

She goes to the front of the inn ,kneeling down and unchains Nymeria as her wolf nuzzles her gently,they go for a short run along the muddy lane near the trident..

Arya ran after Nymeria her hair blowing in the wind,her cheeks flushed and her boots caked in mud,she crouches down a little before jumping and catching the wolf around the neck with her skinny arms and tries her best to stop the pup from moving as she takes out the brush and tries to brush the mud from her fur.

"You better but on something pretty today,we are traveling with the queen in the wheel house ~"her sister says with the tone she always gave Arya when she was being improper or embarrassing her "No I won't.."she says as she tries to get out a difficult knot from the wolf's muddy fur "Myca and I are going to ride up stream and look for rubies at the ford.."she says says not looking up at her bewildered sister as she continues to brush out Nymeria's fur "Rubies?...what rubies ?"Sansa says not understanding ,Arya looks up at her sister and tilts her head to the side a little with a look that said really?."Rhaegar's rubies!,this is where King Robert killed him and won the crown",her sister looks at her in disbelief for a moment "You can't look for rubies the princess is expecting us ,the Queen invited us both"her sister says "I don't care,the wheel house is boring you can't see a thing"she says "what could you want to see?.. their is nothing but fields ,farm land and hold fasts"her sister says annoyed with a sigh,"it is not!"says stubbornly because it wasn't,if her sister could only see how interesting it was she might like it too"..if you came with us some times you would see" 

"I hate riding!,all it does is get you dirty ,soiled and sore"her sister says with contempt,Arya shrugs and looks down at Nymeria "hold still!"Arya snaps at her wolf "..I'm not hurting you"she says almost gently before turning back to her sister "I counted 32 flowers I have never seen while crossing the neck and Myca showed be a lizard lion.."she says,her sister shudders and looks disgusted,Arya continues to talk about all the things she had seen when she had gone away from the column before Nymeria wiggles in her grasp "stop that!,I have to do the other side your all muddy"

"Your not supposed to leave the column,father said so.."Sansa reminds ,Arya knew that but she was going far so she didn't know why it was a big deal ,she shrugs "I don't go far and besides Nymeria is always with me and I don't always leave it's sometimes fun to ride along with different people in the column and talk.."she says. "You have to come with me,you cannot refuse the Queen and the Septa will be expecting you..!"Her sister says frustrated,Arya doesn't say anything for a moment as she tries to get a knot from her wolfs fur but she accidentally yanks too hard on the brush,so Nymeria growls and spins out of her grip causing Arya to fall in her back side "come back here!"Arya calls to her wolf as it runs away before quickly getting up,she half heard her sister mention that their would he lemon cakes and tea as she chases after her wolf ,her sister continues to try and convince her that sitting and eating lemon cakes with the Queen who Arya didn't much like was better than riding "I don't like the Queen"Arya remakes over her shoulder casually "...she won't even let me bring Nymeria"she complains as she puts the brush in her belt and stalks closer to her foot on light feet ,Nymeria watching cautiously with her golden eyes "A royal wheelhouse is no place for a direwolf and besides the princess is afraid of them,you know that.."her sister says "Myrcella isn't as afraid of them anymore and besides Nymeria won't hurt her.."she says as she grabs her wolf around the neck and tries to pull out the brush but the moment she does Nymeria wriggles free and runs off ,Arya cruses under her breath before shouting "bad wolf!"frustrated and annoyed,turning quickly on her heel as she hears her sister giggle "I'm not going no matter what you say.."she says stubbornly to her sister "oh gods Arya you act like such a child some times...well I'm going with out you it will be much more splendid without you there,Lady and I will eat all the lemon cakes we want"she sister says,her words hurt a little but Arya was used too it "you won't be able to bring Lady with you either..!"she says remarks after her sister before quickly turning on her heel and follows her pup before her sister could reply.

She eventually catches her wolf long even too brush out all the mud by the end she was covered in dirt and grass stains but she didn't mind and scratches her wolf behind the ear before putting the brush away and goes to find her friend ,her wolf following a few moments later 

She finds him sleeping in the meat wagon,she wakes him and they grab their horses before they ride down the river to find the rubies,talking and messing around as they do,they reach the ford within an hour or so and tie up their horses after getting off.

"Raise you too the bottom!"she says grinning happily as she quickly takes off her boots and breeches before running and jumping into the trident river and divides down as far as she could trying to look for any signs of rubies but the water was too murky to see anything so she swims back up to the top behind him,Myca had followed taking off his tunic and boots jumping in after her but wasn't able to dive as deep so he just swam back to the top.She splashed him from behind and laughs as he jumps and lets out a startled cry before turning around and splashes her in return.She makes a face at him and pushes her now wet loose hair out of her face her cheeks flushed.

They got out of the lake after awhile,he looks away promptly from her when he glances over at her which confused her his ears turning bright red "what's wrong Myca?"she asks as she goes and lays down in the dry grass "nothing"he says quickly and just lays down beside her in the grass,they discuss what shapes the clouds are and laughed for awhile,her direwolf curled up at their feet as their clothes dried and everything turned back to normal between them after that.

They got up once their clothes are mostly dry and get dressed before Arya suggests that they spar again and he agrees and they break off two tree branches and begin..

Nymeria goes a short distance away from them in the woods to hunt 

Clack...snack...clack..of the wooden sticks clashing was all Arya could hear apart from the rustling of leaves and their laboured breaths for they had been at it since noon.Myca grunts in pain as Arya strikes him in across the arm ,she runs backwards and he chases after her they swung at each other with their sticks ,he pushes the attack being a foot taller than her and much stronger but she was quick she manages to dodge most of his blows or parry them but when she tries to lung he strikes her stick and then her hand causing the stick to fall to the ground,she curses loudly and sucks on her knuckles to soothe the sting from the blow.

They heard laughing ,Myca looks around wide eyed and startled, dropping his stick on Arya's foot accidentally she hisses in pain,she looks around immediately spotting her sister and the prince she glares at them."Arya...?!"her sister calls out incredulously horrified "go away.."she says "what are you doing here?..aren't you supposed to be in the wheel house?..leave us alone!"she shouts angrily her arms folded across her chest and continues to glare at them.The prince glances between her and Arya "..your sister?"he asks sounding amused and disgusted at the same time,her sister nods blushing looking ashamed.The prince studies Myca which made Arya a little nervous,see with your eyes she thinks,he's going to hurt him she realizes suddenly and moves in front of her friend slowly to protect him "who are you boy?"the prince demands, "M..Myca M'lord.."her friend mutters 

"He's just the butchers boy..."her sister says "he's my friend..you leave him be!"Arya says protectively cutting in sharply."Oh a butchers boy?..who wants to be a knight is it?"he asks mockingly as he struts forward arrogantly carrying his steel sword out in the open her sister following after they had gotten off their horses "pick up your sword butchers boy?.."the prince commands almost sounding bored his green eyes gleaming with amusement and cruelty,he scoffs "lets see how good you are?..",Arya glances back at Myca he was frozen in place clearly afraid he had never been trained and didn't have an steal of his own.

When Arya looks back at the prince, he was walking determinedly towards them a madness in his green eyes "go on!..pick it up!...or do you only fight little girls?!"the prince says as he pushes Arya away from in front of Myca .Myca gulps "..s..she asked me too m'lord...she asked me too"her friend pleads with the prince ,Arya looks down her cheeks flushed with shame before she slowly grabs the stick from the floor hiding it behind her back "are you going to pick up your sword or not?!"the prince asks not listening ,her friend shakes his head "..I..it's only a stick...m'lord,it's no sword"Myca says desperately "and your only a butchers boy and no knight.."the prince says amused and lifts his sword and lays the point on Myca's cheek below the eye Arya sucks in her breath and holds onto her stick tighter as her friend trembles "that was my lady's sister you where hitting,do you know that?"the prince asks he digs the point of his sword into his cheek drawing a drop of crimson blood drips down his cheek.

"Stop it!"Arya screams anger tears in her eyes as she takes her sword from behind her back and goes into the water dance stance,she glances over at her sister as she shouts "Arya you stay out of this!"before her gaze returned to the prince as he says "I won't hurt him much.."with a cruel smirk not taking his eyes off Myca ,her heart was racing I have to save him she thinks before she swings with both hands and their was a loud crack as she strikes the prince across the back of his head causing her stick to splinter and break,the prince stagers and swirled around yelling curses as Arya just barely ducks his blade "Run Myca!"Arya shouts her voice trembling he didn't need to be told twice ,he runs into the woods as fast as he can.Arya swings at prince again with her broken stick but this time the prince catches it on his sword causing a painful shock vibrate up her arm as her sword flies away ,the prince glares down at her his eyes like wildfire as her sister shrieks for them too stop,she scoops up the rock that it under her hand and hurls it at the prince put it misses hitting his horse causing it to rear and gallop off after Myca,her hands desperately search for another rock but their was non as her sister screams,she shuffled backwards on the ground just in time to avoid the princes slash while he shouts and curses at her angrily,she quickly gets up frightened and goes to run but the Prince chances after her backing her up against a tree ,she could hear her heart pounding in her ears as he points his blade at her neck,he was about to say something before a familiar grey blur of her direwolf takes the prince down the wolf's jaws clamped around the prince's sword arm,his sword falling with a thud on the forest floor as the prince struggles with her wolf ,shrieking and whimpering as her wolf snarls at him."get it off!...get it off!"the prince screams.

"Nymeria!"Arya shouts her voice cracking like a whip,her wolf immediately lets go of him and moves to her side,she looks down at the prince in disgust "she didn't hurt you much.."she says as she picks up her sword and points it at him with both hands the prince lets out a pathetic whimpering sound as he looks up at her "...no...no...don't hurt me I'll tell my mother" "don't you hurt him!"her sister screams at her ,she doesn't say anything using her whole body to throw the sword into the trident as far as she could before quickly running away into the forest with Nymeria on her heels ,her cheeks stained with tears as her tangled hair blows in the chilling wind as it gets dark...


	10. “A game of lion and little wolf”

**Arya** hugs herself as she walks threw the forest with nothing but the vague light of the stars above to guid them,Nymeria whines they had been running for hours "we have too keep going ,they'll hurt you for what you did to Joffrey"she says quietly to her wolf ,she was tired too but she forces herself to keep her eyes open and to keep moving but eventually it was too hard she was almost falling asleep where she stood.She looks around she spots a ditch and climbs down into it and helps Nymeria down before she curls up and almost instantly falls asleep despite the chilly morning breeze and the hard floor.

Nymeria rests buts stays alert when she hears male voices shouting and light she immediately nudges Arya's shoulder to wake her,she slowly wakes "huh?.."she mumbles groggily before her eyes shoot open when she hears the men shouting her name,she looks at her wolf before she slowly creeps out of the ditch a little too see who it was before quickly going down again once she saw the lions on their breasts,her heart beginning to race "come on"she whispers quietly to her wolf before she creeps out the other side of the ditch Nymeria following,staying as quite as they could, managing to evade them for now...

2 days later...

As swift as a deer..as quite as a shadow...quick as a snake she repeats over and over trying to find strength and comfort from her old dancing masters words,as she hides and runs from the shouts and torches her stomach aching from lack of food she had only been able to scavenge a few blue berry's and raspberry's from a prickly bush that scraped her arms.At the end of the day when it became too dark too see and her body ached to just rest she climbs into a small ditch and Nymeria crawls down beside her

Just before dawn..

 **Jorey** called the little lady's name "Arya!...Arya!..Stark"as he walks threw the thicket of trees he was about to turn back to go back to the main group when he catches a glimpse of a small girl curled up in a ditch with a huge wolf pup,he does a double take before walking over to the girl and the wolf, it must be the little lady he thinks she looked quite more a state than usual ,he kneels down and gently nudges her shoulder.She slowly wakes jumping a little when she looks up and sees him "Jorey..!?"she says in a hushed whisper as her wolf stirs,he glances at the wolf "We have to send the wolf away it's what's best for it and..you need to come back your lord father is worried sick m'lady"he says gently "no..I~"she says before trailing off her eyes filling with tears,she quickly wipes them away and goes to her feet "The wolf will have friends and will plenty of animals to hunt so she won't go hungry or lonely I promise m'lady.."despite the dim light he could see the inner battle behind her eyes but she eventually after a moment just nods reluctantly,he pulls her out of the ditch and the wolf jumps out he leads them away from where the main party was so they could set the wolf pup free ,Arya drags her feet beside him..

 **Arya** hugs her wolf around the neck as hot tears fell down her cheeks "go..be free..don't come back"she sniffles as she pulls away and pushes the wolf gently away,Nymeria tilts her head confused but backs up a bit away from them but when they turn to leave she follows ,this happened similarly a few time's until they had to throw rocks one of them hit her and she whines causing Arya to feel tremendously guilty and sad as she hears it and the wolf darts off into the darkness 

Jorey leads her back to the hold fast unfortunately Lannister guards were on duty and they go to notify the Queen...


	11. “Injustice”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> •Tw(trigger warning):Graphic Violence ish at end of chapter
> 
> •I’ll be up uploading new chapters every second Sunday

**Arya** stood alone apart from Jorey who had a protective hand on her shoulder and another on the hilt of his sword in the middle of some Lord's audience chamber with all eyes on her in the pact room,her hair is a tangled messy and her her riding leathers are a soiled ruin,she chews her lip nervously until she hears the door bust open she looks back to see who it was,then she hears her father call her name,she began to weep as she sees her father despite herself,she runs the few short steps to her father and he takes her in his arms,she could feel herself shaking against his strong arms "I'm sorry...I'm sorry.."she says threw her tears all her father said to it was a gently "I know.."as he held her close for a moment before gently letting her down and cups her right cheek gently with his kind grey eyes that had a hidden fury that was not for her "are you hurt?.."he asks looking her over,she shakes her head "a bit hunger.."she says "We'll get you some soon"he says her promised letting go of her cheek and gently turning her around his hand resting on the top of her back.

"What is the meaning of this?..."he asks looking around the room "why was I not told that my daughter was found?,why wasn't she brought to me at once?"her father demands of the king his voice cold ice but it wasn't him who answered "how dare you talk to your king in such a manner!"the Queen says glaring at both her and her father,the King seemed to awaken at this "Quite woman!"he snaps, rubbing his temple, sitting up a little in the high chair "I'm sorry Ned,I never meant to frighten the girl....it seemed best to get it over and done with"he apologies to her father,glancing at her.

"And what business is that?"her father says his voice firm and sharp enough to cut a man,she glances away from her father and sees the Queen step forward "you know full well Stark..this girl of yours attacked my son along with that butchers boy hers..,that animal of hers tried to tear his arm off my sons arm"the Queen says with contempt putting emphasis on certain words "that's not true..,she only bit him a little because he hurt Myca!"Arya says much too loudly looking to her father then back to the Queen "Joff told us what happened,you and your butchers boy beat him with clubs before setting your wolf on him"the Queen says coldly "that's not how it was.."Arya says quickly her voice trembling slightly "Was!,they attacked me and she threw lions tooth in the river"Joffrey says not even glancing in her direction as he says so "Liar!"she shouts with fury in her voice "Shut up!"the prince retorts his ears turning red "Enough!"The king roars irritated causing both of them to turn their gaze to the King as he rises from the high chair.

The King scowls at her threw his great black beard "Now girl,tell me what happened all of it,..it's a grave crime to lie to a king"he then looks at his son and says "when she is done you may speak but until they keep your mouth shut".She began to explain what really happened at the Trident stumbling over a few words not noticing the door open,when she gets to the part we're she had thrown the sword into the river so the prince couldn't attack them or go after them she hears the handsome lord in deep forest green and gold burst into laughter,the king looks irritated by the lords actions "Ser Barristan,escort my brother from the room before he chokes"the kings brother stifles his laughter momentarily before says "My brother is..too kind I'll find the door myself"he turns and bows to Joffrey "Per chance later you might tell me how a girl half your size disarmed you with a stick and threw your sword in the river"he says beginning to laugh again towards the end of his sentence before walks out swinging the door shut behind himself.

She hears the kings brother say "lions tooth"from behind the door before he bursts into laughter once more.She looks back at the prince who was as white as summer snow as he lies,when the prince was finished speaking the King rises again heavily from the high seat he looked like he wished to be somewhere else so he would not have to deal with this "What am I suppose to do with this?,Seven hells!..he tells me one thing and she says another"the king says frustrated,her father speaks up "they where not the only ones present..Sansa come here"he says,Arya turns and sees her sister walk threw the crowd of people,she hoped her sister would tell the truth and not pick her prince over her..

"Tell them"her father says as her sister steps forward hesitantly dressed in a fine blue dress nothing out of place,she blinks at Arya as she gives her a pleading look before looking at her prince "I don't know...it all happened so fast"she lies her eyes filling with tears looking like a frightened doe "..I didn't see",Arya left hurt and betrayed anger tears fill her eyes "how could you?!.."she says angrily her voice breaking slightly and kicks her sister hard in the shin before shoving her hard causing her sister to trip over her skirts to hit the floor "Arya!"her father says his voice tern as Jorey helps Sansa to her feet ,Jorey asks if she is ok but she doesn't seem to hear just staring at Arya.

"The girl is as wild as the filthy beast of hers!" the Queen proclaims "Robert I want her punished for this"the Queen says to her husband "Seven hells!..what would you have me do she's a young girl..whip her threw the streets?!"he says "damn it children fight,its over!...no lasting harm was done"The Queen looks absolutely infuriated as she glares at her husband "Joff will carry those scars for the rest of his life!"the King looks his heir "so he shall,perhaps they might teach him a lesson"he then looks at her father "see that your daughter is disciplined,I'll do the same with me son".

"Gladly your grace.."her father says looking quite relived by that,the King started to walk away but the Queen was not done still fuming "what of the direwolf?!..what of the beast that savaged our boy?"she calls after him,the King stops.Arya prayed to the old gods and the new silently for Nymeria to be far far away,he turns back and frowns "I had forgotten about the damn wolf.."she hadn't realized how tense she had become before Jorey speaks up quickly "we found no trace of the direwolf,your grace",the King did not look unhappy "no?..so be it".The Queen raises her voice so every in the room could hear her clearly "A hundred golden to the man who brings me the beasts fur"."A costly pelt.."the King grumbles "I want no part of this woman,you can damn well buy your furs with Lannister gold"he says to his wife,who considered him with cool rage "I had not thought you so parsimonious ,The king I thought to wed would lay the wolf's pelt at the end of my bed by sun down"Arya watches as the Kings face turns a deep purple and red with rage "that would be a fine trick without a wolf", "We have a wolf .."she says softly and smirks,Arya's eyes widen she can't mean lady...everyone was quiet,The king shrugs annoyed "As you will ,ask Ser Ilyne to see too it" "Robert you can not mean this"her father protests but the King seemed not to be in any mood for more argument "Enough Ned,I'll hear no more..,a direwolf is a savage beast sooner or later it would have turned on your girl like the other did to my son,get her a dog she will me happier for it"she looks at her sister who finally realizes what is happening,her eyes frightened as they turn to father "h..he doesn't mean lady does he?"she must have read the expression on their fathers face "No!..not lady!...lady didn't bite anyone..she's good!"she sobs,Arya's hands bawl up into fists "Lady wasn't there,leave her be!"she shouts,her sister sobs and begs her father not to let them,all her father does is take her sister in his arms and holds her as she cry's ,her father stares at the King"Please Robert,for the love you bear me,for the love you bour my sister,please..."her father says to him,The king looks at them for a moment before turning to his wife "Damn you Cersei.."he says with hatred in his voice ,her father gently lets Sansa go and steps forward "do it yourself then Robert,at least have the courage to do it yourself.."her father says the ice in his voice again,the King looks at him with unseeing eyes and leaves without a word.

The room filled with silence when he left until the Queen asks "where is the direwolf?",The Prince was grinning like a fool "the beast is chained up at the front of the inn.."he says not having single thought about how Sansa might feel. "Send for Ser Lyne Pain"the old knight says reluctantly "No,Jorey take the girls back to their room and fetch me ice..if it must be done I'll do it my self"the Queen looked at him suspiciously "you stark?..is this some trick?,why would you do such a thing"she asks as everyone stared at father.

"She is of the North she deserves better than a butcher.."he says before leaving the room.

"Come on"Jorey says and gently guides Sansa from the room,Arya looks back and sees the Queen whispering to someone.She follows them up to the hall where their rooms are Sansa's one was closest,Jorey tells her which one was hers,Arya nods going to her room

"It's not fair.."she mumbles wiping her tears away ,she could her brothers voice say nothings fair little sister as she pushes the door to her room open, somethings wrong,the candles have been just recently put out the smoke still coming off them,the curtains drawn and there is a pool of water around the extinguished fire,see with your eyes and as calm as still water she thinks,when she spots a dagger beside a vase of flowers on the table she slowly goes to grab it but before she could grab it,she was pulled pack by her hair she lets out a startled yelp before the man's hand clamps his down on her mouth,she kicks his legs and bites down on his hand till he let her go,she stumbles forward crashing into the table causing the vase to crash to the floor along the the dagger,before she can get to her feet,he yanks her hand and slams it into the table she cry's out struggling in his iron grip as pulls out another dagger "No..please stop!"she screams desperately at the man as the dagger hovers close to her fingers,their is banging at the now blocked door which startled the attacker causing push down on her finger and the top of another,she screams in agony as the blade ripped threw the flesh and bone causing blood to spatter and spurts all over them,he pulls the dagger away taking it with him before opening the window as quickly as he could struggling a bit with the curtain before jumping out just as her father and a few of his guards rush in.

She lays on the floor cradling hermaimed hand to her chest surrounded by blood and flowers,her vision begins to blur,she screams and whimpers in pain as she vaguely sees her father kneel down and cradles her in his arms "...I don't want to die!.."she sobs looking up at him "You won't my little wolf pup.."he says his voice haunted that was all she remembered until she woke up a few days later in bed being tended too by a maester


	12. “The ride into kings landing”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very late chapter I just haven’t felt motivated to write in awhile 😅

**Arya** blinks at the light as her eyes adjust to the sudden brightness causing the grey stone ceiling to become clear to her as well as the memories that flood back to her..for a moment she tried to convince herself it was all a terrible nightmare but then she feels someone tug a little too hard on the silk bandaged which they tied her hand with,she winces pulling her hand away and looks over to see a very startled old maester who she had never meet before.

"My lady..I just need to finish this.."he says as gently as he could, she gives him her bandaged hand that pained her duly,they must have given her milk of the poppy she thinks.Once the old maester was done he gets up and leaves the room quickly,most likely to inform her lord father that she had awoken.

She holds her bandaged hand above her face and looks at it frowning softly her brows furrowed before she lets it fall to her side again,wincing slightly.She noticed that she had been changed into the comfortable silk shift with gold embroidery across the top and that the room had been cleaned almost spotless,the window is a shut and there is a new vase of wild flowers on the table that now had a slight indentation from where the knife had struck it.

She glances over at the door as it opens, it was her father who rushed over to her side and hugs her gently,she hugs him back the best she could.

He asked her a few questions about what had happened and about how she was feeling and explained what had occurred while she had been unconscious before he left her to let her rest .

A day or two later..

She lay in bed propped up by feather cushions as her sister and Jeyne Poole sewed beside her bed in silence that filled the room. "Did Myca get hurt too?"she asks after building up the courage too since she had woken but she felt like she already knew the answer but she hoped that her feeling was wrong. Her sister frowns at her and sighs with dismay and goes back to her stitches not answering her,Arya wasn't surprised they hadn't talked at all since everything happened but Jeyne does "The hound killed him.."she with a barely concealed smirk"..they had chopped him up into so many pieces that when they gave the boy back to his father in a bag he had..thought him a pig they had slaughtered".

Arya's eyes widen "no!"she says barely above a whisper ,a single tear runs down her cheek as silent anger and grief takes a hold of her....

After a few more days in bed she grows strong enough to walk on her own with the shadow of her fathers guards behind her in case she needed help or if something happened again but riding was difficult for her now because she couldn't use her dominant hand to steer the horse so she road on her fathers horse for the rest of the journey in between two of the household guards.

They rode threw the towering bronze doors of the red keep after a long day of travelling,she was tired,hungry and her hand needed a bandage change,she looks up at her father who looked as irritable as she felt, they hadn't even gotten the chance to dismount when a steward runs up to them to tell her father that the grand maester had called for a urgent meeting of the small council and that the hands presence is requested as soon as it is convenient "It will be convenient on the morrow"her father snaps as he dismounts and helps her off the horse,the steward bows lowly "I shall give the council's your regrets my lord" "No damn it,it wouldn't do to offend the council before it begins,I'll go with you pray give me a few moments to change into something more acceptable"

"Yes my lord,we have given you lord Arryns former chambers in the tower of the hand,if it would please you?..I shall have your things taken there" "my things are still making their way threw the city"her father says as he takes his gloves off and stuffs them in his belt as the rest of their party road in.Her father calls out to their own steward "It seems the council had urgent need of me,see my daughters to their rooms,have Arya's bandages changed and have two of our guards posted at her door" Poole bows before he leads both her and Sansa threw the maze that was the red keep until they finally reach the tower of the hand and shows them to their rooms before posting two guards outside her door before fetching the old Grand Maester who creeped Arya out a bit as he changes her silk bandages, something about him made her uncomfortable even though he was acting like a bumbling fool.


	13. “Loneliness with a little hope”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is 8 months late 😅

**_Arya_** looks up when she hears the doors to the small hall open, her father walks in looking like he had been fighting with the council once again she could see it on his face and he was late as he had been so many times since they had come to Kings landing.The first course of thick sweet soup had already been taken away when he entered. "My lord" Jory says when her father entered and rose to his feet along with the rest of the guard in their new grey cloaks with white satin borders.A hands of beaten silver clutched the woollen folds of each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand's household guard.Their are only fifty of them so much of the benches are empty.

"Be seated," her lord father says. "I see you have started without me.I am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city."He gestures to them to resume there meal and they do.The servants bring out platters of ribs, roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs. "The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord" Jory says. "They say that all the knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honour of your appointment as Hand of the King."Jory continues, she looks at her father who did not look one bit happy about this Tourney. "Do they also say this is the last thing in the kingdoms I would wish?"her father says his tone tired and frustrated.

Sansa's eyes go wide and a small excited smile forms on her pretty rose coloured lips. "A tourney"she breaths with excitement, her sister is seated between Jeyne and the Septa the farthest she could be from Arya without drawing a reproach from their father, she still had barely even spoken to Arya since everything other than to ask if her hand was paining her once a week or so ago. "Will we be permitted to go, Father?" her sister asks. "You know my feelings, Sansa.It seems I must arrange Robert's games and pretend to be honoured for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly". "Oh, please!"he sister begs "I want to see". Septa Mordane speaks up then "Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honour, it would look strange if your daughters did not attend."

When Arya looked over at her father who looked pained since the Septa was right, Arya didn't like it one bit either. "I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa." He sees Arya opening his mouth to say her too most likely but glances down at her bandaged hand then says instead"I'm sorry Arya but you cannot go it would not be as safe as here"he says. Arya did enjoy Myrcella and even her little brothers company but nothing would make her want to go to the stupid tourney with Joffrey and the Queen there. "I don't want to go anyway, it would be stupid"she says, she glancing over at her sister who seems almost happy that she was not going but does not say a thing.She lowers her eyes to the table her chest feeling strangely heavy as she looks at her barely touched ribs and the silk bandages wrapped around her hand, thankfully the Maester said they could be taken off fully in a few days. The only sound to be heard in the hall is the clattering of knives and forks it was almost unbearable. "Pray excuse me," her father announced to the table. " I find I have little appetite tonight" he says before leaving the small hall.

As soon as her father left her sister and Jeyne started whispering excitedly and her fathers men talked loudly about the tourney and laughed as they ate.No one talked to Arya.She didn't care one bit she liked it this way.She would have eaten her meal in her room if she had been allowed, she often did when her father was with the King or an envoys.The rest of the time she ate with her father and sister in his solar quietly it was then that she missed her brothers most she wanted to see Robb smile, to tease Bran and play with Rickon and most of all she missed her dear half brother she wanted to hear him call her little sister and for him to mess up her hair and finishes her sentences with her even though she should be used to him being gone but she wasn't.

Back at Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father used to say a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. "Know the men who follow you," she heard him tell Robb once, "and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger." At Winterfell, he always had on extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him. Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her fathers table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchens. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies. Fat Tom used to call her "Arya Underfoot," because he said that was always where she was, she liked it much better than "Arya Horseface."

Only Winterfell was so long away now and everything has changed. This was the first time she had supped with the men since arriving in Kings landing and she hated it.She hated the sound of their voices, the way they laughed and the stories they told. They had been her friends, she'd felt safe around them, but she knew that was a lie now. They'd let the Queen kill lady, that was horrible enough but then hound had killed Mycah and she had been attacked and not one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not even Harwin who talked so bold, of Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her lord father...

"He was my friend,"Arya whispers miserably into her plate, so low that the others could not hear.She felt almost ill at the sight of the cold ribs on her plate.She pushes it away and gets up from the table, her blue skirts rustling softly as she does so. "Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?" Septa Mordane asks looking at her with her beedy eyes. "I'm not hungry"she says, it takes a moment to remember her manners and says "May I be excused, please?"she asks a little impatiently wanting to be in the safety of her room once more where she would be left alone. "You may not," the septa said "You have scarcely touched your food. You will sit down and clean your plate."

"You clean it!"she yells at the septa before she picks up her skirts and bolts out of the hall before any of them could even get up to try and catch her, she could hear the men laughing and the septa's voice rising higher and higher. Fat Tom was guarding the room to the tower of the hand, he blinks as he seems her running and hears the septa's shrill shouts behind her. "Hey, slow down little lady.." he says and attempts to grab her arm but she dances away from him before she makes her way as quick as a snake to her room he had no chance of catching her.She slides gracefully into her room and drops the cross bar down on the door.She was safe.Arya falls to her knees slowly her eyes filling up with tears, she hated the lot of them but it was herself she hated most. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened her sister had implied it and Jeyne had told her so.

She suddenly hears a knock on the door and laboured breathing.She looks up at the door as she hears Fat Tom say "Arya girl, what's wrong?"he calls out but she does not answer him.Soon she hears his steps retreating, once she does she march's over to her chest pulling out her linens, silks and velvets throwing them haphazardly onto the floor till she finds needles cold hilt.She pulls it out from its sheath and looks at the blade,...she thinks of Mycah then and the tears begin to fall down her cheeks.I should have never..I should have never asked him to play swords with me..it's all my fault she thinks miserably as she cry's while she tries to hold her sword properly with her clumsy bandaged hand, she curses loudly and throws it to the floor in frustration, she couldn't do it despite her efforts. She looks up suddenly as she hears the pounding knocks of Septa Mordane "what are you doing in there young lady?!..open this door at once!" The septa shouts. "Go away!"she shouts back at he septa as she picks up her sword off the floor. "The hand will hear of this!"the septa warns. "I don't care!,leave me alone!"she shouts back again at the septa. "You will rue this insolent behaviour, young lady, I promise you that." She goes and listen at the door till she could no longer hear the septa's steps before she goes over to the window seat holding needle in her two hands.

She sits down on the window seat and looks down into the courtyard below as she places her sword beside her and wipes the tears from her cheeks.If only she could climb as well as Bran, she thinks; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place.Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle, ointment, bandages, her good boots and a warm cloak.She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she would not feel so lonely. 

She hears a soft knock on the door, she turns away from the window and her dreams of home. "Arya," her father's voice calls out. "Open the door. We need to talk." She crosses the room leaving her sword behind her on the window seat before she lifts up the heavy bar and opens the door to see her father standing there alone. He seemed more sad than angry with her. That made Arya feel even worse. "May I come in" Arya nodded and steps aside to let her father in, her eyes lowered, ashamed. She closes the door as she hears her father asks "Who's sword is that?. She cringes slightly her face becoming all scrunched up as he asks her this she had completely forgotten that she'd left it out for all to see, she turns around "Mine"she says defensively as her father walks over and picks up the blade.He turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point with his thumb. "A bravo's blade," he said "Yet it seems to me that I know this maker's mark. This is Mickken's work."

Arya could not lie to him.She lowered her eyes and fidgets with the loose parts of the bandage. Her Lord father sighs. "My daughter of ten and four years is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdom's, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household." 

After a long moment of silence her father says "I suppose it's only natural for you to want a proper sword after the years of dancing lessons I allowed you,...although I'm not impressed that you got it behind my back and neither would your Septa after all she had tried to teach you." "I don't care what she thinks"she says looking up at her father. "That's enough."Her father's voice was curt and hard. " The septa is doing no more than her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.""I don't want to be the Lady she wants me to be!" Arya flared."I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end to this nonsense.""Needle wouldn't break,"She says defiantly but the tremble in her voice betrayed her words. "It has a name, does it?" Her father sighed.

"Ah, Arya.You have a wildness in you. 'The wolf blood,' my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave." Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. "Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You look more like her each day."

"Lyanna was beautiful," Arya says almost startled. Everyone said so.She had never been called beautiful by anyone other than Jon, her father and Myrcella also but Arya was sure she was just being kind. "She was," her father says in agreement, "beautiful, and wilful, and dead before her time."

He lifts the sword, held it out between "Were you trying to keep up your training?"he asks. "I...was trying to,but.."Her eyes fill with tears once more. " I asked Myca to help me do so."The grief was on her once again, she turns from her father her body trembling with the weight of it on her consciousness. "I asked him," she repeated as she cried . "It was all my fault not his, he was innocent..." Suddenly her fathers arms are around her. He held her gently as she turns to him and sobbed against his chest. "No, sweet one," he murmured. "Grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butchers boy. That murder lies at the Hound's door, him and the cruel woman her serves."

"I hate them," Arya confided, red faced, sniffling. "The Hound and the Queen and the King and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it wasn't the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember but lied so Joffrey would show interested and like her."

"We all lie," her father said. "Or did you think I'd believe that Nymeria ran off?" 

Arya blushed guiltily. " Jorey promised not to tell." "Jory kept his word," her father said with a smile. "There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly."

"We had to throw rocks," she said miserably. "I told her to run and not come back. There was other wolves for her to play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, she'd deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and we had to throw rocks. I hit her. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ashamed, but it was right, wasn't it? The Queen would have skinned her." "It was right," her father said. "And even the lie was...not without honour." He'd put Needle aside when he'd gone to comfort her. Now he took the blade up again and walks to the window, where he stood for a moment, looking out across the courtyard below. When he turned back to her, he looked thoughtful momentarily. He seated himself on the window seat with the blade resting across his knees. "Arya please sit, their are some things I must explain to you"

She perches nervously on the edge of the bed knowing it would be nothing good. "You are a bit too young to be burdened with all my cares," he told her, "but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words."

"Winter is coming," Arya said her voice hushed. "The hard cruel times," her father said. "We tasted them on the Trident and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our house,Arya." 

"The direwolf," she said, thinking of her own direwolf all alone in the wilderness of the trident, a shiver goes threw her and she hugs herself, her hand throbbing dully. "Let me tell you something about wolves, Arya.When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share are strength. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa...Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and moon, but the same blood follows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you... and I need both of you, gods help me"

He sounded so tired it made Arya sad and she hugs herself tighter. "I don't hate Sansa ,"she said to him. "Not truly." It was half a lie.

" I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We have come to a dangerous place, little wolf. This is not Winterfell. We have enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This wilfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience...at home, these were only summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to grow up."

"I will," she vowed her hands falling to her lap. She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant. "I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb." He held the sword out hilt first. "Here." She looked at the sword in surprise, afraid to touch it in case her father changed his mind and snatches it away, but her father said , "Go on, it's yours," and she took it in both her hands carefully. "I can keep it?"she said. "For true?" 

"For true."He smiled. "If I took it away, no doubt I would find a bow hidden under your pillow in a fortnight. Try not to stab your sister, whatever the provocation." "I won't. I promise."Arya clutched needle to her chest as her father left the room. The next morning, as they broke their fast, she apologised to Septa Mordane and asked her pardon. The septa peered in disbelief but her father nods. Three days later, at midday, her fathers steward Vayon Poole sent her to the Small Hall. The trestle tables had been shoved against the walls some turned over on top of them. The hall seemed empty as she stepped inside until she hears a half familiar voice say "You are late, child."

It was Ser Barristan of the Kingsguard in his snow white armour that matched his long beard with two wooden swords in hand. "Please be here by midday tomorrow, my lady"he says his voice like soft leather, she nods. He puts the swords aside and walks over to her, "which is your sword hand?, my lady" he asks when she tells him her maimed left hand and he asks to see it, she lets him take it in his calloused hand as his pale blue eyes look it over, and turns it over to see both sides. "I'll teach you some exercises to help the the stiffness and then show me what your dancing master thought you" he said and he did, he was a patient and attentive teacher but she knew he was going easy on her because of the difficulty caused by her two missing fingers.


	14. “Every hurt us a lesson”

**Arya** heard the soft thud of her fathers boots on the winding steps of the tower as she balances on one toe then jumps to the other with ease and grace the roughness of the stone barely noticeable to her calloused scraped feet.She hears him stop behind her, "Arya are you still doing this?, 'I know ever hurt is a lesson' but it's a grave fall down these steps and I don't want you falling like you did in Winterfell" he says his voice full of concern. Arya chews lip, lowering her foot so it rested firmly on the stone then turns to face her father a grin on her lips "A water dancer never falls and besides I'm much better now"she says lightly but also tries to reassure him. He chuckles and shakes his head lightly.

She remembered suddenly what she had wanted to ask him while breaking her fast but couldn't since he had been greeting an envoy from some place. "Father, will Bran come and live with us now?" she asks hopefully.

"Not for a long time, sweet one," he told her. "He needs to get his strength back." Arya bit her lip. "What will Bran do in the next few years?"she asks worried for her brother's future since he most likely couldn't be a Knight like he always wanted to. Her father sits down on the step and pats the place beside him for her to sit and so she does.

"He has the next few years to find that answer, Arya.For now, it is enough to know that he will live." Arya remembered the night the bird had come with the news that her little brother had awoken but couldn't walk, her father had brought Sansa and her to the Red keeps gods wood it was nothing like that one back home that she knew so well it was all wrong their wasn't even a heart tree with a scary face but she knelt with her father and sister and thanked the old gods for her brother being awake but also begged them to help her brother fulfil his wishes of becoming a knight.Sansa fell asleep first as the moon came up over head hidden by the tangled branches and leaves above, Arya stayed up with her father for as long as she could until she could no longer keep her eyes open, she curls up under his cloak like she had when she was a girl on the soft damp grass.Arya woke up at dawn surrounded by flowers she knew to be dragons breath.

"He was going to be a knight,"Arya says sadly. "A knight of the Kingsguard. Is their a possibility he still can?"she asks a bit hopeful that her father might know a way. "No,"her father says gently. "Yet someday he may be lord of a great holdfast and sit on the king's council. He might raise castles like Brandon the Builder, or sail a ship across the Sunset Sea, or enter your mother's Faith and become the High Septon." Arya looks down momentarily disappointed and saddened for her brother then looks up at her father tilting her head to the side slightly then asks "Can I be a kings councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?"

"You," her lord father says as he gives her light kiss on the brow, "will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps a High Septon."he says and she frowns making a face. "I don't want to be some wife to a King and have his babies, I want to be important and known in my own right..I'm not Sansa"she says frustrated that she didn't have any options she liked since she was a girl and worse a high born lady though she didn't consider herself one.She gets up and goes back to where she stood and goes back to her balancing. Her father sighed and leaves her there.

As she reflects on what her father had said and she realises it didn't make sense she wouldn't be marrying a King , Sansa was the one going to marry the Prince so why had her father say King instead of High Lord or the like it made no sense unless he was planning something which was ridiculous since her father would never betray his dear friend the King but all the same a shiver goes down her spin as she balances watching her father disappear down the steps.


End file.
